Suspects arrested after breaking into off-duty officer’s home

Published 9:15 am Thursday, September 17, 2009

Two suspects have been arrested in a string of burglaries after a female suspect unexpectedly broke in to an off-duty Pelham Police officer’s home in the Wild Timber subdivision.

Heather Moore Hudson, 31, and Michael Joseph Wood, 26, were apprehended following the incident Sept. 8, said Pelham Police Lt. Scott Tucker.

Hudson is charged with one count of first-degree theft of property, one count of third-degree theft of property, two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of third-degree burglary, one count of possession of burglar’s tools, one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of marijuana. She is being held at the Shelby County Jail on $222,000 bond.

Wood is charged with two counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of third-degree burglary, one count of first-degree theft of property and one count of third-degree theft of property. He is being held on $121,000 bond.

Shortly after the incident at the off-duty officer’s home, Pelham Police officer Steve Johnson was able to locate the red vehicle the two suspects fled in, although Wood was the lone individual in the vehicle.

Upon investigation, officers discovered numerous stolen items from additional burglaries along Shelby County 11 into the Chelsea area, and from Tuscaloosa, Northport and Dadeville.

Shortly after apprehending Wood, Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies assisted Pelham Police in apprehending Hudson at another residence where she had been dropped off.

Pelham officer Mike Taquino arrested Hudson without incident.

“The exact number of cases that involve these two suspects is undetermined at this time,” Tucker said.

As a result of the two arrests, Pelham Police, Hoover Police and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confronted the owner of Coin Castle West in Bessemer after a controlled buy of stolen property.

“The owner of the business intentionally purchased, what he thought was, stolen property,” Tucker said. “We’ve had suspicions of him dealing with buying stolen property.”

The investigation into Coin Castle West is ongoing.